A NEW Exmoor-based book has been published to highlight the “realities of life” for farmers throughout the uplands.

Exmoor Farms: A Year on the Moor is a new book commissioned by The Exmoor Hill Farming Network (EHFN) and the Exmoor Society in celebration of their 10th and 70th anniversaries.

The book was officially released on Wednesday, October 16, with an unveiling to a full house in the auction ring of Cutcombe Market.

Rachel Gilmore, MP for Tiverton and Minehead, said: “This event is the culmination of a fantastic project and aims to tell the stories of farmers on Exmoor.

“I hope that the book opens the eyes of its readers to the realities of life on the Moors, and the struggles, and indeed triumphs, of farmers.”

Exmoor Farms: A Year on the Moor is a book in words and photographs that explores what it means to farm this beautiful corner of the UK’s uplands in the 21st century.

The project spans a farming year and includes profiles of farms, together with portraits of the people who live and work on them, and accounts of the activities, markets and shows that fill the year, highlighting the successes and challenges experienced.

Sarah Bryan, chief executive of Exmoor National Park, said: “It’s a book of hope, it’s a book of celebration and it’s a book of authenticity.

“We need a future for our communities in the uplands.”

The project was thought up by Katherine Williams, the Network Manager for EHFN since its inception, who was inspired by a photography exhibition featuring farms in Cumbria.

Katherine said: “I wanted to find a way to tell the hidden stories of our farms, a record of the farming year that would show some of the things our farmers do and capture this moment in Exmoor’s history. A book also seemed like the perfect way to showcase the value of the network.

“Being a farmer’s daughter and growing up on a beef and sheep hill farm near Withypool, I understand first-hand the opportunities and challenges faced by our farming businesses.”

Having met up with Kate O’Sullivan and Ian May from the Exmoor Society in December 2022, the two groups decided to make Katherine’s dream a reality.

By Spring, the group had recruited the writer and author Victoria (Tortie) Eveleigh and the photographer Eleanor Davis who would go on to spend a year interviewing and photographing 65 farms across Exmoor.

The book was then edited by the generous volunteer Jane Pearn and was dedicated to the late Robert Deane, who worked closely with The Exmoor Hill Farming Network, Exmoor National Park Authority and Exmoor Society.

Katherine said: “Tortie’s painstaking work to understand their lives and Eleanor’s tireless effort to get just the right image has resulted in what is a remarkable and comprehensive record of Exmoor farming.

“We will be forever grateful for everyone’s help in capturing these moments in time which we hope will be cherished for many years to come - a tribute to all those who farm on Exmoor.